


The Mystery of the Hidden Idol

by raynedanser



Series: The Mystery of the Hidden Idol [1]
Category: Veritas: The Quest
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-03-31 12:25:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13975092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raynedanser/pseuds/raynedanser
Summary: Nikko is kidnapped. Calvin finds him.





	1. Chapter 1

Calvin leaned onto the counter, grabbed the beer that slid to him. He scowled and slapped at Nikko’s hand when he reached out for the beer. “I don’t think so,” Calvin commented.

It was an off night. No pressing research that needed to be done right away, no traveling. They were free to relax and do what they wanted for a few hours. They’d started out watching movies and eating take out, but Nikko was fidgety and about to drive Calvin nuts. Since Solomon’s room was right next to theirs, they decided to go somewhere to burn off steam. As they’d gone by the hotel door, Nikko had knocked on it, yelled something about “going out!” and they’d arrived here.

Here was a small night club with thumping music, strong drinks, cold beer and flashing lights. The dance floor was packed and Calvin leaned a shoulder against one speaker, watching as Nikko found himself sandwiched between two blonds. He laughed at something one of them said, then looked up and winked and smiled at Calvin.

As the music filled the air around them, Calvin watched Nikko. Watched his narrow hips move and twist, body gyrate, hands move through the air, droplets of sweat glistening on his forehead. Of the two of them, Nikko was the one that would dance when they went out. Once in a while, Calvin would join Nikko on the dance floor. Usually he preferred watching and thinking about how he would lick the sweat off Nikko later, when it was just the two of them.

Tonight, Calvin decided to join Nikko. He set his empty beer on the counter, pushed himself away from it and walked slowly over, watching Nikko the entire time. He slid in behind Nikko, flattened his hands on Nikko’s hips and moved with him, bringing them to a slow grind. Calvin slid his hands forward on Nikko’s hips and dipped his head in before whispering in his ear, telling Nikko in graphic detail what he was going to do to him when they got back to the hotel room. That his father and Vincent would be in the room next door was just a hint of added danger. Calvin chuckled quietly as a full body shiver moved slowly through Nikko, kissed his neck quickly and went back to the bar to continue watching.

One of Nikko’s earlier dance partners watched and waited for an opening, smiling the whole time, and moved back in when Calvin was gone. It was evident the way that she tried danced with Nikko that she wanted him to go home with her and Calvin barely suppressed a smirk as he had another sip off his beer.

When he looked up again, Nikko was watching him over his shoulder, smiling and raising his eye brows as though asking for help. The girl was walking next to him, hand firmly on Nikko’s back as they walked away. Calvin frowned. Dancing and flirting? Sure. That was harmless enough. But going off with someone else? Oh hell no.

Calvin swore under his breath and pushed away from the bar, intending to follow. He lost them in the crowd once, found them again and started pushing his way through the jumble of bodies. He vaguely heard some muttered curses and name calling, ignored them as he tried to keep an eye on Nikko.

The blond was leading Nikko to the back of the club, to one of its side doors. When Calvin realized what she was doing, he pushed harder, tried to catch up, almost made it as he got to the door just as it swung shut. He got it open, and stepped into a dimly lit alley. Calvin only paused for a minute, and then saw them again at the other end of the alley.

Something was wrong, he realized. Nikko’s movements were less natural, clumsier, unlike Nikko’s naturally graceful. Calvin’s concern grew.

“Nikko!” he called out as he broke into a run.

Nikko’s companion looked back quickly, and then continued to push him ahead. A battered truck pulled up at the end of the alley and Calvin ran faster. He watched in shock as Nikko was pushed into the back like livestock and the truck took off again. By the time Calvin had reached the street, all that remained of the truck was its lone taillight, its unmuffled exhausted echoing back to him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikko is kidnapped. Calvin finds him.

"Dr. Zond!" Calvin shouted. He'd run the whole way back from the club and had to pause to catch his breath. "Dr. Zond!" he tried again, this time banging the door with his fist.

The door in front of Calvin opened just moments before the door behind him. Doctor Solomon Zond stood in front of him, cotton lounge pants hung low on his hips as he tugged a navy blue tee shirt over his head. "Calvin? What's going on?"

Calvin looked from Nikko's father in front of him, to Vincent behind him, and back again. "It's Nikko."

"What about him? Is he still at the club?" Solomon looked past Calvin and up and down the hall as he tried to spot his son.

Calvin quickly shook his head. "No. He's been kidnapped."

Solomon's eyes widened. "He was what?"

Vincent’s hand was strong against his back, insistent as he pushed Calvin into the room. "I think this is something we should finish in here," he explained calmly. Once inside the room, he made sure the door was locked, and then turned around. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against it as though holding it closed. "Now, what's this about Nikko being kidnapped?"

Calvin sat in one of the chairs and explained what had happened after they'd left the hotel. Told them about the club, how Nikko had been dancing with the two girls. How Nikko had been acting later as one had led him out of the club. Told them about the old truck he'd been shoved into.

When he was done, Calvin looked up and met Solomon's eyes. "I'm sorry, Dr. Zond. I couldn't catch up to them."

"You weren't supposed to be able to," Vincent said from where he still stood by the door. He walked across the room and stopped where he could easily see Solomon and Calvin. "Tell me again what happened. Everything, even if it doesn’t seem important.”

Calvin was quiet a moment, trying to put his thoughts together. Finally, he said, “He was dancing with the blond girl and then they started walking off the dance floor in the other direction. Nikko looked back at me over his shoulder, but they just kept walking.”

“When did you first realize something was wrong?” Solomon asked this time.

“When Nikko walked off with her.”

Solomon chuckled softly. “It’s Nikko, of course he would.”

Calvin shook his head. “No, he wouldn't. Maybe a few months ago, yeah, but not now. He wouldn't just leave without me.”

Solomon held his hands up in surrender. “Ok, ok! Tell me more about the truck."

"Old. Really old. Sixties maybe? And from what I could see, the body was rusted pretty badly and it was loud. There was a wooden frame in the back, like they hauled livestock in it." He shuddered. "That's where they put Nikko," he finished quietly.

Solomon nodded and glanced at his watch. "I'll call Maggie and Juliet and fill them in. Maggie can start pulling satellite feeds and Juliet can go over whatever she pulls." As he talked, he set his laptop on the table in the room and booted it up. “If they find anything useful, they can forward it to us here,” he continued. Then he dug his cell phone out and called Maggie, speaking quietly into it.

Calvin watched with a sense of helplessness. “And what do I do?” he finally asked Vincent. From beyond Vincent, Solomon’s side of the conversation had gone quiet and Calvin knew he was being watched. He didn’t care. The only thought he had right now was finding Nikko.

Vincent pulled a chair in front of Calvin and sat in it. “You are going to tell me everything. Again. Every last detail that you can think of.”


	3. Chapter 3

Nikko woke up slowly and stayed perfectly still. He was on a cot that was about six inches too short and his feet hung over the end. A thin, smelly pillow had been squished under his head and his hands were bound snugly in front of him. The binding was tight enough to hold, but not so tight that the circulation was cut off. The room was sweltering and he smelled strongly of cow manure. Somewhere nearby, he could hear the steady hum of a generator running.

He grimaced and opened his eyes slowly, not sure what he'd find. He was looking at a dingy plywood wall. Behind him, two voices rose in a discussion. Nikko lay still and hoped they didn’t figure out that he was awake. Not just yet. After a few minutes, Nikko rolled over carefully on the narrow cot. The room was small and only a couple of feet away stood a rickety table with papers hanging over the edges. The only light in the room was a lone bulb that dangled precariously on a cord from the ceiling. Nearby, two forgotten rifles leaned against the wall.

Two young men stood hunched over the table, studying the papers. They spoke animatedly, pointing and gesturing wildly with their hands as they spoke rapidly in a language Nikko didn’t quite understand. Every so often, one would point to something and a discussion that Nikko couldn't quite keep up with would follow. He was only able to pick out a word here and there. Words like missing and fertility. He wondered what they had to do with him, if anything.

He swung his legs over the edge of the cot and sat up. He yawned loudly to get their attention as he walked over to the table, then dropped his bound wrists on it with a dramatic thump as he studied what he might be local maps.

"What are we looking for, hm?" he asked as he smirked in a way that drove everyone at home nuts.

**********

The smell of coffee brought Calvin out of an odd sleep riddled with dreams about Nikko. When he opened his eyes, Vincent was kneeling in front of him, holding a Styrofoam cup of coffee in each hand. Calvin sat up, rubbed the sleep crud out of his eyes and took one.

"Thanks," he mumbled at the lid. He looked around the room. "Where's Dr. Zond?"

Vincent nodded his head toward the bathroom. "In the shower. You've only been asleep for a couple of hours. Maggie might have a lead on that truck and is sending some pictures for you to look at."

Calvin sipped carefully at his coffee, grateful for the caffeine. "Is there something else?" Calvin asked eventually when Vincent didn’t move.

At that moment, the bathroom door opened and Solomon came out, still rubbing his hair with a towel. "The shower is good as long as no one else on the floor flushes." He crossed over to the laptop and started clicking around as he asked, "Has that email from Maggie arrived yet?" He waited a moment as something loaded. "Calvin, come look at these."

Calvin stood behind Solomon and looked over his shoulder, studying the photographs that Maggie had sent. The few pictures that she’d found were of a battered truck on the city’s outskirts. They didn’t quite zoom in close enough and if he squinted, Calvin could almost make out colors in the few pictures that had a bit of lighting. He tried not to think too much about Nikko disappearing into the jungle.

"Yeah, that's it," he said needlessly. He printed them out, knowing they’d want hard copies at some point and separated the last photo from the others. "Are there any more? After this?" he asked as he tapped the photo with his fingertip.

Solomon shook his head. He looked as tired as Calvin felt, he realized. "No, that's it. Right after that, the satellite goes out of range."

Calvin stared at the pictures and groaned. They were never going to find him.

Vincent placed one hand on Dr. Zond’s shoulder. "Now that we have a direction, I have a guy I can call. He might recognize the truck, or know someone who will. We'll find him," he said as he tried to reassure both of them.


	4. Chapter 4

Nikko stared at his captors in disbelief. “A fertility idol,” he said again. “You’re serious?” Both men nodded. “And your biggest clue about where it is is a children’s poem that no one has been able to figure out?” They nodded again. He sighed and tightly pinched the bridge of his nose.

It had taken the better part of the morning, but eventually Nikko had been able to convince them that he could actually help them find their missing idol. At first, he’d thought the whole thing was pretty ridiculous because seriously. A fertility idol? Did anyone actually believe in them any more? These people clearly did and they were desperate to find it. His kidnapping wasn't even part of that plan, but part of something else entirely. After more heated discussion, he got them to agree that if he could help them find their idol, they would release him. He tried not to think about how, in order to get them to return him, first they’d have to go further into the jungle and away from the city.

He looked at the men and their almost hopeful expressions. Almost. Like after all this time, they didn’t quite dare to believe that they could actually find it, but oh how they wanted to. Nikko wondered how many years they’d hoped, only to have given up. Probably their whole lives.

He sighed. “OK, tell me the poem again.” He closed his eyes and listened as the men again recited the poem in heavy accents.

_“In the belly of the baby,_   
_through the breath of the gods,_   
_under the forever rain,_   
_you will find the giver of life.”_

When they were done, Nikko headed for the hut’s door, stopping only when one of the men stepped in front of him and blocked his way. “Where are you going?” the man demanded.

“Do you want to find this thing or not?” When the man hesitated, Nikko continued. “Let’s go find the ‘baby’ and see what else we can find.”

As they walked, one of the men commented, “You don’t seem very afraid for someone that’s been kidnapped.”

Nikko laughed. “This isn’t the first time,” he finally answered. “And you’re not even the scariest.”

They continued walking down the pebbled road, walking slowly through the small village as Nikko went over and over the poem in his mind, trying to figure out what the baby’s belly could possibly be. He slowly turned around and around, trying to picture it in his mind. The ground was uneven and soon the road began going uphill.

“Uphill, uphill,” Nikko mumbled under his breath. He knew he probably looked crazy, but didn’t really care. He looked down, looked closely at what they were walking on. It was wide, but not as wide as most of the roads he’d seen. It twisted a lot, too, which seemed odd to him. “Who makes a road that curves this much? Was this always a road?” he finally asked the men walking with him. They stared back at him blankly. “Whatever,” he mumbled. And then he had an idea. “Do you have a village leader?”

At that, their faces brightened. “Do you want to see him?” one of them asked.

They changed direction as they walked towards the village leader’s hut. His wasn’t any better than the rest of the huts in the village. It was still dilapidated, still small and still dirty. Inside, an old man, surprisingly clean compared with the hut’s interior, sat at a rickety table. A plate of half eaten food was in front of him. He held a fork in one boney hand, paused halfway to his mouth.

“I wondered when you would come see me,” he said quietly.


	5. Chapter 5

Calvin stretched out across the too short sofa in Solomon’s room and tried to nap. It didn’t work out very well since the sofa was far too short and he was far too tall, which meant that he either needed to bunch up on his side or stretch out with his legs hanging over the end. Neither was very comfortable, but he didn’t want to go back to his room, either. None of them had slept very much in the last 12 hours or so, so the plan was that he and Dr. Zond would try to get some sleep while they could and that Vincent would call “his guy.” How was it that he always knew a guy? Calvin wondered. He rolled onto his back. If he stayed very still, he could hear Vincent on the phone on the other side of the room, talking in hushed tones. Eventually, the talking stopped and Calvin rolled onto his side to face Vincent.

“Anything?” he asked.

Vincent picked up the dinner menu from the restaurant that Nikko and Calvin had used the night before and fingered its edge. “Not yet. He said the truck sounded familiar, but he wants to check around. He’ll call back in a couple of hours.” He waved the menu. “We should get something to eat while we wait.”

Calvin snorted quietly and rolled onto his back again.

Eventually, Vincent had talked both Calvin and Solomon into eating and, again, they waited for Vincent’s guy to call them back. The minutes on the clock ticked away slower than Calvin would have liked and the couch was starting to give him a back ache. Every once in a while, Solomon would give him this look, like he was appraising Calvin, trying to figure something out. Scrutinizing. It was making him twitchy. Vincent sat in the corner at his laptop, pulling up maps and studying them. Every so often, he’d look up at Calvin with a knowing expression. Calvin didn’t know which of them was worse and it was driving him nuts.

He’d actually managed to finally doze off when Vincent’s phone rang. Calvin watched through half shut eyes as Vincent turned his back to the room and the hushed talk started again. He tried to listen, but all he could pick out were words like “mountains” and “remote” before Vincent snapped his phone shut. A quick glance at his watch reassured Calvin that yes, there was still plenty of daylight left for them to do something _now_ instead of waiting until tomorrow.

Vincent’s face gave away nothing, but when Solomon and Calvin both watched him, waiting for him to say something, he finally said, “There’s a small village not far from here. He thinks it either belongs there or they will know who it belongs to. If we leave now, we can probably make it before nightfall.”

It should have been easy. Go to the village, find the truck, and then get Nikko. But easy was the last thing it was. The road they had to use was narrow, winding and bumpy. It was barely suitable for a truck. Branches and overgrowth reached in from the sides, shrilly scratching at the paint and windows. Calvin winced every time a branch skittered over the glass near his face. He sat silently in the back seat, bouncing his forehead off the window, waiting, nerves on edge. There was a rough bump and his head banged sharply off the glass just before the truck skidded to a stop and Solomon swore loudly.

“What’s going on?” Calvin asked.

“Flat,” Vincent explained as he got out of the truck.

It was really only necessary for one of them, maybe two, to get out, but somehow all three of them ended up outside of the truck on the narrow road. Solomon grumbled and groused until Vincent gave the jack to him, then the spare when he was ready. Despite the warm weather, Calvin wrapped his arms around himself, gripping his elbows. He paced impatiently and kicked a golf ball sized rock across the road and into the trees. They were so close to Nikko that he could feel it, and still it wasn’t close enough.

They lost valuable time changing the tire, but when they were done and the bad tire had been tossed carelessly in the back, they all climbed back in and were underway once again. It felt like the road went on forever. The woods got denser and darker and the fine dust that the Jeep stirred up stuck to their sweaty skin.

There was no warning that they were approaching the hut. They went around a sharp corner and it was just suddenly there at the edge of the road with a small patch of hard packed dirt in front of it. Solomon slowed and for the second time that day, Calvin was out of the Jeep before it had come to a complete stop. The hut in front of them was run down like so many other buildings they'd seen. Flat slabs of wood made up the walls, rusted sheets of metal made up the roof. The door was just a dark opening. A small window to the left of the door was covered only with a tattered piece of material.

Calvin swore quietly as he stood just inside the hut’s door. They'd had Nikko here? He grimaced and tried not to think about it.

Vincent had walked ahead, wanting to check out the road ahead of them. Inside was dull light and stifling heat. Solomon came in with flashlights and passed one of them to Calvin. When they'd clicked them both on, the small room was dimly lit and small shadows danced over the walls. They walked around, raising and lowering their light's beam. Calvin stopped when he found something on the floor. He knelt down and picked up a crumpled up piece of paper with faded print on it.

"Shit," he hissed when he recognized it.

"What is it?" Solomon asked as he carefully took the paper from Calvin. He turned it over, examining it. "It's a receipt."

Calvin nodded and bit back a mouthful of bitter bile. He had to get out of the hut. With almost no airflow, the heat inside was becoming unbearable. He left quickly, vaguely aware that Solomon was following him. He leaned against the Jeep and wiped sweat and grime from his forehead with the hem of his t-shirt.

"Nikko was here. That's the receipt from our dinner last night," he explained. "He stuffed it into his pocket after the delivery guy left."

Solomon looked at the paper in his hand again, then back at Calvin. "You're sure." It was a statement, not a question.

Calvin nodded.

Vincent chose that moment to reappear. "The road forks ahead. If we come back in the morning with two vehicles, we can split up and check them both out."


	6. Chapter 6

His hotel bed wasn't half bad, Calvin decided as he stretched out on it. God knows he'd slept in enough places that _were_ bad, so he had plenty to compare it to. The room was too quiet, though. The other bed too empty.

With a frustrated sigh, Calvin grabbed Nikko's faded orange backpack from the floor and unzipped the large front pocket. It only took a moment for him to find what he was looking for. He pulled the thick volume out and stared at it, picking at the worn cover with his fingernail as he remembered the first time he'd seen it.

It had been shortly after they'd started dating, though neither of them had called it that at the time. He'd walked into their hotel room and Nikko had scrambled to hide the journal under his bed. Calvin had pounced on Nikko and they’d wrestled. In the end, Calvin sat straddling Nikko’s slender hips, pinning Nikko with his knees and holding the journal over his head and out of Nikko’s reach. He’d whooped triumphantly as Nikko had laughed beneath him. Nikko still denied it, but he was pretty sure that Nikko had let him win that day.

As he'd flipped through the pages that first time, Calvin had realized it was a journal as thorough and detailed as those Nikko's mother had kept. Tonight, as he leaned against the headboard with his knees pulled up in front of him, he flipped through some of their earlier entries. They’d mostly goofed around, writing notes back and forth, but some were serious, about the jobs they’d worked, things they’d both observed. Gradually, the journal had evolved into one they both wrote in. Often, their entries were about the same thing, just from their own perspectives. Once in a while, notes to the other were scribbled into the diary’s margins. He'd just gotten to Nikko's most recent entry, written the other night before they'd gone to the club, when there was a soft knock at the door.

"Calvin?" Solomon's voice was muffled through the door as he knocked softly.

Calvin got up to let him in and sat back down on the bed, his finger tracing the familiar creases in the cover of the journal.

“I thought I’d let you know what was going on tomorrow,” Solomon explained.

"Yeah, sure," Calvin answered.

Solomon came in and sat on the edge of the other bed. His eyes fell on the journal on the bed next to Calvin. "Is that Nikko's?" he asked. "Can I see it?" he continued when Calvin nodded. He held out one hand expectantly.

Calvin was tempted to say no, but there really was no reason to. It's not like they were writing about anything embarrassing. He handed the leather bound journal over and waited as Solomon flipped through its pages. He eventually stopped at Nikko's last entry and read it. When he finally looked up, Calvin braced himself, waiting for Solomon's reaction. Of all the ways he'd thought about coming out to his boss AND telling him that he was dating his son, this was not what he had in mind.

Solomon studied Calvin and seemed to be weighing his words carefully. "This thing with you and Nikko, it's serious?" he finally asked.

Calvin waited a moment to answer. Until now, he hadn’t thought about it that way. Nikko was just kind of always there, they worked together, they played together, and they traveled together. But now that he’d been asked… He couldn’t imagine doing any of that alone or with anyone else. 

He nodded. "It is for me, yeah."

“How long?”

Calvin picked at some imaginary fuzz on the bedspread. “A few months.”

Solomon nodded as he stood and handed the journal back. "I'll tell you the same thing I'm going to tell him. Don't you dare hurt him."

Calvin met his gaze evenly and shook his head. “No, sir.”

He was almost to the door before he stopped and half turned again. "Vincent got another vehicle for tomorrow. We're leaving at sunrise. Get some sleep, Calvin. We'll find him tomorrow."

As the door closed behind him, Calvin couldn't help but wonder which of them Solomon was trying harder to convince. Calvin just hoped he was right.

*************************************

The shaman patted the seat next to him and smiled at Nikko. “I’ve been waiting for you,” he said again. His voice was low and quiet, firm as he spoke to Nikko. His short, white hair was a stark contrast to the leathery tan of his skin. His eyes were a bright blue, shining bright and alert under thick eyebrows.

Nikko took the offered seat. “Why?”

“I knew you’d have questions. Visitors always do. Do you mean that you don’t?”

“Yeah, I have questions.”

The shaman nodded again. “So ask your questions,” he said finally.

Nikko tried to figure out where to begin. “The idol. It’s real?”

“As real as anyone can tell. It’s been gone for so long, no one left alive has ever seen it.”

“And none of the women in your village can get pregnant,” Nikko stated.

The shaman shook his head. “No no. None of them can get pregnant _here_ , in our village. If we wish to have children, our young couples must travel in order to get pregnant. Each year, the distance we must travel gets further and further from the village. And as you can see, we are not a wealthy village. Travel for our people isn’t always possible.”

Some pieces of the puzzle slid into place. “That’s why there are so few children here.”

“Yes.”

“And your only clue is the children’s poem.”

“Yes,” the shaman said again, nodding his head, pleased that Nikko was beginning to understand.

Nikko was quiet again as he thought about what the shaman had told him and remembered details of the children’s poem. “Has your village always been here?”

The shaman looked confused. “As long as anyone alive remembers, yes.”

Nikko thought some more. Just before he’d come into a hut, he’d heard rushing water. “Did I hear a river? Is there a waterfall there? I’d like to see it.”

“Of course. I’ll have Eduardo walk you. But there is nothing behind the waterfall except for a shallow cave.”

Moments later, Eduardo entered the hut. “Shall we?” Eduardo asked.

“Lead the way, Eddie,” he said. Nikko stood, realizing his meeting with the Shaman was over. But outside the Shaman’s hut, Nikko stopped. Something was niggling at the back of his mind, he just couldn’t quite get what. Every time he thought he had it, it slipped away again.

The village wasn’t enormous, but it was large enough that the land had been cleared for the huts, paths, etc. Trees surrounded the village, some taller than others and across the village, the mountain range rose in the distance. He stared, aware that Eduardo was watching and waiting patiently for him.

He was just about to give up for now when he remembered the map that he and Calvin had been looking at just before they’d come down here. It was old and battered and Calvin had spread it carefully across one of the architect tables at Veritas. One of the lamps had been focused on it and Calvin stood at the edge of its halo. Nikko had come up behind him and slipped his arms around him, studying the map as he rested his chin on Calvin’s shoulder.

Two mountains in the distance caught his attention. Alone, they didn’t mean much, but if there were one more mountain, then together they were important. Nikko turned around quickly and went back into the Shaman’s hut, catching the old man by surprise.

“Yes?” he asked.

“What was this mountain called?” he asked quickly.

He told him the name that was on the map.

Nikko shook his head. “No, no. Back then, when you first started making the offerings, what was it called?” To his disappointment, everyone had forgotten.

Finally, he looked at Eduardo waiting patiently outside the hut. Maybe if they went on this walk, he’d figure out more of the puzzle, he told himself. He thanked the shaman, apologized for bursting back in and left with Eduardo.

The path leading to the waterfall was down a steep hill and they had to move slowly. Nikko had almost made it to the bottom when his feet slipped on the damp bank and his ankle twisted painfully beneath him. He stood up, brushed his hands and bottom off and gingerly tested his weight on his ankle. It pain shot up his leg and he knew it would be bruised and swollen later.

“Terrific,” Nikko grumbled.

“Are you okay?” Eddie asked, concern knitting his brow.

“Yeah. Twisted my ankle, but I’ll live.”

The rest of the descent was slower, but at least without event. At the bottom of the rough trail was a shallow pool the waterfall drained into. It was surrounded by a field and Nikko was relieved to find that it was just grass down here. No rocks to trip and climb over and no fallen logs. They made their way slowly around.

The waterfall fell over a cliff of rock into the pool below. A heavy mist hung over the pool. Behind the sheet of water was a space big enough that Nikko was able to pass through and stand in a shallow cave. There was nothing else there but the shallow cave the shaman had told him about. Nikko trailed his fingers through the moisture on the walls, his fingertips dancing over their rough texture. Calvin would love this and he hoped he’d have a chance to show him.

He turned back to Eddie. “There’s no other waterfall nearby?” Nikko asked.

“No.”

Nikko chewed his lip a second. “No other water at all?”

“No,” Eddie said again.

Nikko left the cave and they slowly climbed back up. By the time they’d reached the top, his ankle was throbbing painfully. He wanted nothing more than to stop moving, but there was no time. He had to help these people. His ankle could come later.

When they were back on the weird road they were on before, something else clicked into place. “This isn’t a road, this is a dried riverbed,” he told Eduardo.

“How can you tell? Eduardo asked.

“I’m guessing, mostly, but look. The rocks look like they’ve been worn smooth over time and why would anyone build a road this crazy and crooked?” He began to walk slowly, watching their surroundings. “Where does this road go?”

Eduardo shrugged. “Just where we leave our offerings each year.”

“What about the other way?” Nikko tried to keep back the surge of excitement. He was onto something. He knew he was, but he didn’t want to let Eduardo know. Not yet. What if he was wrong and had gotten his hopes up for nothing?

“To another village.”

Nikko walked in circles, trying to think. He didn’t think there was anything to see at the other village. Chances were pretty good it was almost identical to Eddie’s village, but he was curious about where they left their offerings.

He looked at Eddie, hoping he could hide the excitement in his voice. “Show me where you leave the offerings.”


	7. Chapter 7

Nikko was starting to regret the long walk. His ankle throbbed, it was late in the afternoon and it was hot. The hem of his tee shirt was damp and smelly from using it to wipe the sweat off his forehead so many times. He was more than ready to kick back for the evening, except that wasn’t really an option. He’d said he would help Eduardo and his village and he had to at least try. His ankle felt as though it was on fire, but he wasn’t ready to give up. Not yet.

First, they walked down the road away from Eduardo’s village for a while. It was an easy silence between the two of them and Nikko kept turning the children’s poem over and over in his head. He thought he had it figured out, or almost, anyway, but wasn’t sure. Couldn’t be sure until later. Eventually, Eduardo turned off the road and down a well worn path that was easy for Nikko to navigate, which he was thankful for. After years of use, the path was worn smooth and the hill that the path descended sloped gently.

When Eduardo finally stopped, Nikko couldn’t help but sigh in relief. The sun was high and it was hot. He was sticky and sweaty and he was sure he smelled good and ripe. He wiped sweat off his forehead with the hem of his tee shirt again and took a moment to look around.

They stood in front of where Eduardo and his ancestors had been leaving their offerings for the idol for as long as anyone could remember. When he’d tried to question Eduardo about it, he hadn’t gotten any useful answers. His village had been doing it so long, no one could really remember why any more. It was just something that they did.

Trees had been trimmed back and there was a mound of rocks stacked not far from where Nikko stood that towered over his head and had a wide base. The rocks that had been stacked here were of varying sizes and shapes. Most of them were the same length as his arm from elbow to wrist, though many were longer. They were all several inches around. As Nikko walked back and forth, staring at the ground flattened and worn by generations of footsteps, he looked up every so often to where the offerings had been left. They were stacked very carefully in a pile that was higher than he was tall with a very wide base. The area was sheltered by an outcropping of rock over and around the mound and a shallow cave cupped it from behind.

Nikko tapped his fingertips against the rough stone as he looked around thoughtfully, and then pushed himself away from the rock. He walked back up the path a bit and looked around, then walked around and studied either side of the outcropping.

“Eduardo – I think this used to be a waterfall,” he said finally. “What if this is the one we’re looking for?” Nikko rushed back and pulled at some of the large rocks at the top of the pile. “What’s back here? Behind the pile of rocks?” he asked as his excitement grew. He was onto it, he knew he was. Somewhere, somehow, this held the answers.

Before giving Eduardo a chance to answer, Nikko was climbing the pile of rocks, wincing as some shifted beneath his weight. It wasn’t very high, but some were unstable, so he climbed carefully and it took him a few minutes. At the top, he passed a few down to Eduardo, and then pushed a few more out of the way, looking behind the pile and above it, up into the outcropping.

And there it was. If he tilted his head just right, he could see a slim opening behind the rocks that was just big enough for him to pass through. He hoped. He pushed a few more out of the way and stretched out on his stomach to look in.

It was dark, almost no light was getting in through the small opening he’d made, but he could see there was at least a floor just inside and it wasn’t that far down. What he’d do once he got inside was a problem though, because they hadn’t brought flashlights.

He rolled over and sat up again, stretching his legs out in front of him. “If you don’t have me with you to slow you down, how long will it take you to get back to your village? Only a few minutes?”

Eduardo nodded. “Only about twenty minutes. Did you find something?”

“I think so, but it’s too dark so I can’t be sure. I need a flashlight and we need people here to help us move these rocks. I think… It looks like there’s a cave behind here and I want to check it out.”

Eduardo grinned. “I’ll go get some help. And I’ll make sure we bring plenty of flashlights.”

Waiting was something Nikko didn’t do well and today was no exception. He forced himself, told himself that his ankle needed the break and he took his sneaker off and carefully massaged the tender tissue. He must have dozed off while he waited for Eduardo because the next thing he knew, he was being prodded awake with the end of a flashlight.

“Wake up!” a villager he hadn’t met yet said brightly.

Nikko sat up and carefully put his shoe back on, then accepted a flashlight from someone and clicked it on. He flattened himself on his stomach and inched forward, looking into the cave. It was just big enough for him to stand, he figured, and maybe wide enough for three people to stand side by side comfortably. It didn’t go far before it curved out of sight. He looked back over his shoulder at the people gathered anxiously behind him. “It’s a cave, but I can’t tell how far it goes because it turns. Eddie, can you lower me in so I can look while everyone else is moving the rocks?”

Nikko turned around and lowered his feet into the cave as he held onto Eddie and another villager. Very slowly, they lowered him in. He winced as his tee shirt bunched up and his belly scraped the rocks. When his feet hit the cave floor, he nodded to Eddie and let go of their hands. Moments later, a flashlight was passed down to him. He clicked it on and moved it along the interior wall and ceiling slowly. The walls were jagged and sharp, the cave floor covered by small pebbles that crunched as he walked.

As he got further into the cave, he kept the flashlight focused in front of him and walked slowly. Once it twisted away from the opening, it went straight ahead for quite a while. Soon, he couldn’t see the light behind him from the small opening. Eventually, the pebbles under his feet gave way to a soft soil and the walls spread away from him into a small room. On the far wall, about knee high, was a small hollow with a shelf. On that shelf was a stone roughly the length of the offerings he’d just climbed over, but wider, more rectangular. It was carved with a rough outline of a mother and child. On the ground all around it were more offerings, but these were different. There were bowls and jugs and dolls and musty clothing all around. Filling the bowls and jugs were jewels and dried seeds and other valuables. There wasn’t any room to walk around and look – almost all of the available floor space had been taken up by the offerings.

Nikko smiled and turned around, walking quickly to the cave’s opening. In his excitement, he could almost forget about his ankle. Almost.

“Eddie! Pull me up!” he said when he got back. They’d been removing stones while he was in the cave, but he still couldn’t climb out on his own.

A small crowd had formed around the work area and they were all looking at him expectantly. He ignored them and focused on Eduardo. “You need to see this.” He described to Eduardo the hollow in the cave wall where the Idol was perched. The offerings on the cave floor around it. He pulled Eduardo away from the other villagers as he described the valuables that he’d found. Eduardo’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Word is going to get out, Eddie. You HAVE to talk to your Shaman and set up security for this. Sure, we found the idol, but we also found enough valuables to take care of your village’s poverty for a very long time.” There, that got Eduardo’s attention. Now that he had it, he continued. “But listen, Eddie, this part is important. Do NOT let them touch any of the treasures yet. They could be booby trapped, or something.” Given how easy it had been for him to get into the cave, he doubted it, but Eduardo didn’t need to know that. “My dad knows people. I can have him call them in. They can come and study this stuff. Help you figure out just how valuable it is and help you take care of everything.”

Eduardo nodded in understanding and left Nikko to find some villagers that would hopefully be trustworthy. Now that the excitement was wearing off and he was standing still, he was aware of the throbbing in his ankle again and sat down on a nearby stone to rest. Everywhere around him, the villagers were bustling about, moving with purpose. Excitement. Hope. And he had helped put that there. He smiled as he watched everyone working together to clear the opening one stone offering at a time, a new pile recreated nearby. Soon, the Shaman walked slowly down the path.

“Thank you,” the Shaman said quietly to Nikko. “We can never thank you enough for helping Eduardo find the missing Idol.”

Nikko smiled at the way the story had already been changed, but said nothing. If Eduardo wanted to be the hero, Nikko would let him. “You’re very welcome. I’m just glad I could help.”

The Shaman nodded. “Eduardo is bringing the Jeep back. He’ll bring you down the road as far as the base of the mountain.”

Nikko almost insisted on being brought all the way back and then thought better of it and bit his tongue. Once he got as far as Eduardo would take him, he’d figure out something. He always did.


	8. Chapter 8

The jeep bumped and banged over uneven roads. It had been days since there had been any rain, and the ruts in the road had dried hard and ungiving and were now slowing down their progress. The road was more like a track – rough and barely wide enough for the Jeep to pass over without branches scratching it from the top and sides.

Earlier that day, they’d agreed to check out both roads. Calvin and Solomon had one Jeep and Vincent drove the other. Each Jeep went down one side of the road’s fork and they agreed that they would drive for an hour, unless they found something or couldn’t go any more. Solomon gripped the wheel tightly with both hands, eyes hard and focused on the rough road ahead. His jaw was set and his shoulders squared. Calvin knew he wanted to drive faster, but the road's poor condition wouldn’t allow it. Alone in the vehicle, both anxious to find Nikko, he played navigator and told Solomon where to turn or stop every once in a while to check their location against the very outdated map he’d spread across his lap. Calvin hadn't had a choice in the matter. Solomon was driving. Period.

Calvin grunted as they went over a large rock and then winced as the rock scraped underneath. The vehicle rocked back and forth and he winced again as the truck creaked and moaned. Solomon carefully steered them around a corner and over a steep rut and Calvin squinted against the light as they came into a clearing. Up ahead, a large rock squatted against the edge of the road. The road curled around it, like that was easier than trying to move it. Its top was somewhat flat and someone was stretched out there, relaxed and waiting.

It didn’t take much for Calvin to figure out who it was.

"Nikko!" Calvin shouted. He stood up as the jeep slowed to a crawl and as soon as he knew he wasn’t going to kill himself, he jumped out and started to run. Nikko got down and walked slowly, meeting him halfway and Calvin found himself wrapped in a tight hug. He cupped Nikko’s cheeks in his large hands, tipped his head, and kissed Nikko’s neck, his cheek and finally, his lips. Relief rushed through Calvin as he held onto Nikko tight, fisting the thin material of the back of Nikko’s grungy tee shirt in one hand and closed his eyes, inhaling his scent.

When he finally pulled back, he touched his forehead to Nikko’s and stared at him, hands firmly on his shoulders. “You’re really ok?” Calvin asked quietly, voice rough as he swallowed past the lump in his throat.

Nikko’s cheeks were smudged lightly with dirt and his hair was a mess, but he nodded and licked his lips. He smiled and touched Calvin’s cheek. “Yeah, babe. I’m really ok.”

“You were limping,” Calvin accused.

Nikko smiled and laughed softly. “Calvin, I’m ok. I twisted my ankle, but I’ll be fine. I promise.”

But he wasn’t the only one glad to see Nikko. Vincent had arrived and he and Solomon had hung back, giving them a moment before joining them. Even as Calvin and Nikko turned to face them, Calvin didn’t let go. Instead, he left his arm around Nikko, flattening his hand on Nikko’s lower back. That little bit of touch was just enough to reassure him that Nikko was there, standing next to him, and he really was ok. The motion wasn’t missed by Solomon, who noted it with an almost imperceptible nod and a smile.

Solomon wanted to take Nikko back to the hotel, wanted to get him out of the jungle and started trying to steer Nikko towards the Jeep.

Nikko stopped walking and looked from Solomon to Calvin, to his father. “No, dad. No, I promised them we’d help them,” he began.

Calvin groaned. “You did what? Nikko, they drugged you. Kidnapped you –“

“They also released me,” Nikko said quietly.

It was then that Calvin noticed the gleam in his eyes, recognized the excitement and knew he’d found something. It was the same glitter that Solomon got. Hell, he probably got it too and just didn’t know it.

“What did you find, Nikko?” he asked.

When Nikko began explaining to them about the villagers and their lost idol and the effects it had been having on them for generations, he put his whole body into the explanation. He moved his hands excitedly and his face lit up as he told them everything. When he was finally done, he looked at them expectantly. “We have to help them. I promised. Dad. Please.” He looked from Vincent to Solomon as though he knew that the decision would come from the two of them together, whether they realized they were doing it or not. Calvin had to hand it to Nikko, he knew how to get what he wanted.

When Solomon sighed and nodded, Calvin knew even before Solomon said anything that he would give in. “All right, but first we get you back to the hotel and get you cleaned up. Got it?” he asked.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! I hope you enjoyed this. I certainly enjoyed writing it and am relieved to finally have it posted. It's been idling on my computer for many years.

At the hotel, there were still more questions to be asked, more to be answered. Calvin had managed to sneak away and was already in their hotel room when Nikko started to close the door. Just before it latched, fingers curled around the edge, stopping it in its place.

“Dad, come on,” Nikko insisted. Calvin didn’t need to look to know that Nikko was probably rolling his eyes at his father. “I need a shower, I need food. I REALLY need clean clothes.”

As Calvin pulled some of his own clothes out of his suitcase, he snorted loud enough for Nikko to hear, but hopefully not loud enough for Solomon to hear. He looked up to see Solomon looking over Nikko’s shoulder at him, as though he were weighing his decision.

“OK. Vincent and I are going back to my room. We’ll start putting together a list of everything we need to do with the villagers. YOU,” he said pointedly at Nikko, “clean up and try to get some rest.”

“Yes Dad, I will. Calvin will take good care of me.”

Calvin knew he was trying to get a rise out of his father, some sort of reaction. He wondered how disappointed Nikko was when all he got instead was, “I know he will,” before his father finally let the door slip shut.

Nikko leaned against it, arms at his sides, palms flat on the door. “What was that all about?” he wanted to know.

For the first time in days, they were alone. Grubby, smelly, sweaty Nikko or not, Calvin needed to touch him, hold him, reassure himself that yes, Nikko was here, in their room and in one relatively safe, unharmed piece. Calvin crossed the room and stopped in front of Nikko. He flexed his fingers at his sides, unsure of where he wanted to touch first, finally settling on just resting his hands on Nikko’s hips. When he leaned against the door like this, he was a little shorter than Calvin even though normally they were almost the same height. Calvin dipped his head down and kissed Nikko gently. He slid his thumbs under the hem of Nikko’s grungy tee shirt, rubbing them on the soft skin on Nikko's hips.

“He knows, Nikko.”

Nikko tensed. “Knows what?”

Calvin smiled and waited a moment. His smile grew when Nikko figured it out and his eyes grew round. “Oh – how?”

Calvin chuckled. “I don’t think I was very subtle when you disappeared and you’re dad isn’t stupid. He probably figured it out. But while you were gone, he came in and I was reading our journal.”

“Oh man. Was he pissed?” Nikko asked as he ducked around Calvin and started rooting around his suitcase for some clean clothes. He finally found a pair of faded jeans, a tee shirt and a pair of boxer briefs and tossed them into a heap on his bed.

Calvin laughed. “No, but I don’t think that the conversation is done either. Now go take your shower, you reek,” he teased as he steered Nikko towards the bathroom.

Nikko made a face at Calvin before closing the door and starting the water for the shower. He adjusted it as hot as he could stand before stripping down and leaving his clothes in a smelly pile on the floor. He wondered if he should just burn them or if the smell might actually come out.

As the steam started to fill the bathroom, Nikko stepped into the shower and leaned his forehead against the shower wall, letting the hot water spray his back. His muscles were more tense than he’d realized and it felt good to just relax and let the water massage him. It didn’t take long for him to lose track of time completely. When Calvin came into the bathroom and leaned against the wall, Nikko’s muscles had finally loosened up and he felt more like himself again. He turned the water off before getting out, then grabbed a towel from nearby and wrapped it around his waist.

“What’s going on?” he asked as he kissed Calvin gently. 

“Remember before when I said that I didn’t think the conversation with your dad was done?” He waited for Nikko to nod before continuing. “Your dad came back while you were in the bathroom and he wants to see us.”

Nikko left the bathroom and went into the bedroom. He dropped his towel and started tugging on his clothes. “Shit. This could be interesting,” he said as his head popped through the opening of his tee shirt. He ran his hands through his hair and shook the excess water out. Dressed as he was going to get, he slid his bare feet into a pair of sneakers and planted a quick kiss on Calvin’s cheek. “Hey - It’s not like Dad can stop this,” Nikko pointed out. When Calvin only glared at him, Nikko continued. “Calvin, he can’t. He won’t. We waited. I’m not a kid anymore.”

At that, Calvin looked up and smiled wickedly. “I know.”

“I haven’t been for a while,” Nikko continued.

Calvin kissed him quickly. “I know that, too. But does your dad?”

Solomon’s room was just like theirs, but tidier. The laptop was still set up on the table and some papers and files were stacked neatly next to it. His cell phone lay closed at the top of one stack. Solomon was sitting on the foot of the bed and when Nikko and Calvin entered the room, he indicated the sofa in front of him.

“Have a seat.”

Vincent stood off to one side of the room, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. He didn’t say anything to the boys, just nodded in greeting.

Calvin and Nikko sat on the small sofa and left about half a cushion of space between them. Even though his father didn’t look upset, Nikko also knew he was really good at hiding what he was thinking and he didn’t know if sitting closer to Calvin would be pushing his luck in some way. He decided that for once, he wouldn’t take the chance and left a respectable amount of space between them.

Solomon waited a moment before focusing on Nikko. “I hear there’s something you forgot to tell me before you were kidnapped,” he started with.

Nikko met his father’s gaze and held it. “Uh, yeah. Calvin and I are having sex.” Beside him, Calvin tensed and groaned loudly while behind his father, Vincent quickly smothered a grin.

“Nice job, Nikko,” Calvin grumbled from the other end of the sofa.

Solomon sat and watched Nikko in silence.

When he realized he wasn’t going to get a reaction from his father, Nikko continued. “OK, not really. We haven’t, I swear. But yes, he is my boyfriend.”

This time, Solomon nodded. “I know that. Now.” He paused, looking back and forth from Nikko to Calvin. Nikko stiffened under his father’s unwavering stare, wishing he knew what was going on in his head. “You know there’s going to be rules, right guys?”

“There usually is,” mumbled Nikko. He grinned when Calvin play-punched him in the arm.

His father ignored the comment and continued. “Leave it at home. I don’t care if you had a great date the night before or if you’re fighting. Whatever it is - It stays out of Veritas. Got it?” he asked.

Beside him, Calvin relaxed a little bit. Nikko nodded. “Sure, Dad.”

Solomon nodded too. “Good. One more thing. You two hurt each other, I’ll kill you both. Relax, you two. This isn’t a firing squad.”

Nikko chuckled and sat back on the sofa. He grabbed Calvin’s hand and tugged him closer.

“That’s good to know,” Calvin said quietly.

Solomon laughed and stood. “OK, you two, get out of here. I’m sure Nikko’s tired.”

Calvin stood and pulled Nikko up off the sofa. “G’Night, Doctor Zond,” he said before slipping out into the hall.

At the door, Nikko stopped and looked back at his father over his shoulder. Solomon was seated in front of the laptop, Vincent in his usual place at Solomon’s side.

“Hey, Dad,” Nikko began. He waited a moment to be sure he had his father’s attention before continuing. “We waited to make sure we got this right – But how much longer are you going to wait?”

Calvin was in the hall tugging insistently on his hand, but Nikko waited just a second to see if what he’d said made any sort of connection with his father at all. For a brief second, he thought he saw a flicker of surprise on his father’s face before it was quickly hidden away. The innuendo was not lost on Vincent and he didn’t try to hide his reaction. He was behind Solomon where only Nikko could see him and he flashed a wide grin. Anything after that was lost because Calvin finally tugged him hard enough to get him into the hallway.

Calvin grabbed his arm and walked down the hall quickly with him. “What the hell was that, Nikko?” he hissed.

“I just figured they could use a bit of a push, that’s all.”


End file.
